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The facility’s roof consists of 3,000 tons of structural steel that support a PTFE membrane. The PTFE fabric is suspended from 430-foot-long structural steel trusses that support an array of structural steel v-columns. Design architect Populous designed the roof form and then worked in tandem with Walter P Moore to create the roof’s structure and subdivide it into trusses. All images and renderings courtesy Populous

A high-rise with outdoor, vertical community space? It's possible! [slideshow]

The lobby and courtyard won't be the only community spaces in this building.

July 17, 2014 |

BD+C Staff

In an effort to increase the sense of community in a high rise, Danish firm C.F. Møller partnered up with Brut Architecture and Urban Design to design a new residential and mix-use tower in the Nieuw Zuid district of Antwerp, Belgium.

Their winning design is of a classic residential high-rise that is encapsulated by a layer of terraces and balconies placed crisscross above each other. The balconies of up to four units vertically on top of each other will be designated as a common space for residents of these units to share.

Glass walls will divide the balconies, balancing the need for private space with the effort to make each resident visible to one another when relaxing in the outer envelope.

By extending the common space outward, it avoids interior space to be compromised for building community spaces that will be sparsely used. Furthermore, units would have mixed affordability, allowing diverse residents from students to families to share a vertical mini-community.

The building was designed in the hopes of not only establishing a sustainable community for people, but also to incorporate environmentally sustainable practices. Passive-house standards are applied to eliminate the need of central heating.

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